


rose tinted doves

by maknaes



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detective Conan, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2019-12-18 06:10:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18243977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maknaes/pseuds/maknaes
Summary: "you don't have to do this alone.""no one else needs to die, lee mark.""then that should include you, kaito kid."-in which jaemin is a phantom thief, mark is a detective, and there's an organization that wants them both gone.





	1. i.

na jaemin is fifteen years old when he finds out one of his fathers did not die in an accident, but was killed.

mark lee is sixteen years old when, for the first time, he meets the thief named kaito kid.

 

**—**

 

originally, jaemin knew naught of his birth father’s night job. in fact, he was positive that aside from being a world class magician, ji hansol was a normal guy.

well, he’d be wrong.

because at fifteen, while cleaning the (admittedly rather gaudy) portrait of his father, he found something… weird. weird as in, a literal batcave under his family home. except instead of metal boomerangs and dark capes, he found a white tuxedo and plenty of roses. and bird seed. can't forget the bird seed.

so, jaemin, being the ever curious teenager he is, pokes around. he finds some of his father’s old tricks, things he had used for magic shows in jaemin’s childhood. seeing these hurts a little - it’s been seven years since his death, but he misses him still. it’s hard not to.

he trails his fingers over smooth countertops, digits lingering over the barrel of a silver gun, rectangular where others would be cylindrical. and he looks over at the suit, bright and obvious in the middle of the wall. blue shirt, red tie. monocle, cape. it’s a little more flashy than jaemin prefers, but he figures it’ll fit. because why else would it still be here? his dad obviously comes and cleans. he knows it exists. but if he didn't want jaemin to find out, he would've hid it all better.

and the boy drifts into the middle of the room, where an old jukebox sits. and as if on cue, it selects a disk and starts to play, the voice of ji hansol drifting from the speakers.

he has school tomorrow.

he sits down, and he listens.

 

**—**

 

mark lee has a lot of names. minhyung, his korean name, there’s detective of the east, some people call him the modern holmes… and one guy in particular calls him detective.

( sometimes that guy calls him _his_ detective. wack. )

and, really, he doesn't mind that much. he gets embarrassed when people say it to his face, but most of the time, it’s just police officers and detectives calling him lee. or it’s donghyuck texting him and calling him idiot. or it’s chenle screeching into his ear, calling him mark-hyung.

he got used to it awhile ago. donghyuck’s been his best friend since they were five and four, so. he kind of had to.

but truthfully, even then, he feels kind of lonely. because despite the work it is, he _likes_ solving cases. and donghyuck is always so disinterested and chenle likes to talk about gems, his possibly boyfriend-but-not-really jisung, and that guy.

kaito kid.

mark doesn't know who he is, really. and he couldn't care, honestly, and if not for the fact that they basically met on a chance occasion as he was riding a helicopter with the inspector of seoul’s first division, they probably wouldn't have ever met.

 

**—**

 

when the full moon reaches its peak

from the blown stars i will come

and from the regent of the waves

i will ghost away its princess.

kaito kid.

 

when chenle’s cousin, ten, received the note, he was … pretty furious, understandably. since it was sent directly to his mailbox, after all.

ten was the chief advisor of the zhong company, despite only being around twenty three. something about being so charming that people just couldn't say no to him. likewise, he was also intelligent. witty, beautiful, cunning. the list goes on. ten also owned a boat called the queen elizabeth. and on that boat, a new gem called the rose heart was going to be shown for the first time.

it’s also the first time in over eight years that this kaito kid has sent a heist notice.

mark wouldn't really care, but this is donghyuck’s friend’s cousin, and when donghyuck whines and gives the puppy eyes, he really can't resist. and it’s _not_ because of his crush.

nope. mark lee does not have a crush on lee donghyuck. no way.

so, mark ends up going on the ship with donghyuck.

 

**—**

 

“hey, nana!” jeno hums, leaning onto the other’s desk with his chin in his hand. “did you hear about kaito kid? he’s come back!”

nana - or, well, na jaemin, hums in response. “yeah. he’s that thief that uses magic right? and never keeps what he steals?” at his words, jeno’s face curls into a smile, his eyes smiling as well.

“yeah! i thought you’d know about him since he uses magic and all. and you're a magician too. and dad’s all heated because kaito kid is back, even if he’d never say it.”

he’s met inspector kim before - how could he not? he and jeno have grown up next to each other for years, since they were practically babies. their parents are close too. inspector kim is serious when he’s on a job,  but whenever he sees his son and his best friend, his face splits into a big smile, and he never hesitates on inviting jaemin for dinner. usually because jaemin’s own dad isn't home a lot. always travelling the world.

he gets lonely. but that’s why he has jeno. and inspector kim, to an extent.

but, renjun - the kid from overseas, snorts a little. they've never gotten a long, even if jeno says they should. jaemin rolls his eyes at him, before leaning back in his seat. he rolls a coin over his knuckles, and waits as the professor begins their lesson.

august twenty fourth. he’s counting down the days.

 

**—**

 

“do you know what this means, mark?” donghyuck’s dad, jaehyun asks. he’s smart, handsome too, but things like riddles sometimes go over his head.

mark scratches his head, pushing his glasses up his nose. “well… the full moon reaching its peak is probably referring to august 24th, 9 pm. because that’s when it'd be the highest in the sky.” he furrows his eyebrows in thought. “from the blown stars.... maybe from the sky. he’ll come, right? the ‘regent of the waves’ is obviously the queen elizabeth. and the princess is the rose heart.”

“that’s what i thought too…” jaehyun says, a frown on his face. “since he’s coming from the air, i guess we’ll have to prepare helicopters.” as if reassuring himself, he nods, and walks off into the kitchen with an empty cup of coffee. mark can already tell that this is going to be a long few days for donghyuck’s dad.

“aaaalright mark hyung!” donghyuck says, shoving mark out of his stupor. “let’s play some games, i’m turning to dust here from how long you’ve been spacing out.” in response, mark jolts, and huffs, rolling his eyes. “calm down, hyuck. it’s been like, at max thirty seconds.”

“thirty seconds of you wasting my time!”

 

**—**

 

at six o’clock, jaemin starts preparing for the heist. he’s got paint bombs, smoke bombs, flash grenades … nothing to really hurt anyone, though. he’s not a violent person, and he’d rather not actually become a criminal by hurting people. but his father was looking for something, something so important that he was murdered, and now he’s going to find it before anyone else can.

he’s even practiced with the gun, but he’s also modified it. instead of shooting bullets, it shoots cards with reinforced corners. they aren’t sharpened, but jaemin is enough of a genius to know that if aimed incorrectly, they could hurt people. hence, why he practiced.

when the clock hits eight, he’s already dressed in the pressed white suit and hat, kneeling on the top of a tower. the ship sits in the yard, docked and ready for its passengers. for one night only, it will be shown to the world before being whisked away into advisor ten’s private collection. and so, he’s going to have to check it before it slips from his grasp forever.

in ten minutes, he kicks off the edge of the building and engages the glider hidden in his cape. he never said he’d be coming from the west at nine, after all.

 

—

 

mark is already on the boat, dressed in an, admittedly kind of ugly, blue suit and red bowtie. donghyuck told him the bowtie was stupid, but he also chose not to notice. chenle bounds up to them, beaming.

“because mark hyung’s here, kaito kid won’t get away!” he laughs, a shrill noise ringing in the air. “oh! and there’s even this other detective too. he’s like mark hyung, he’s a high schooler! and the inspector guy invited his kid too, so it’s basically a teenager party!”

mark raises an eyebrow, but as he opens his mouth, donghyuck already starts talking. “hold on, inspector? but my dad’s already here, so there’s another one? and what do you mean there’s another high school detective?”

chenle hums, smiling. “well, apparently there’s a kid task force in division two! and the leader, inspector kim says that his son jeno and his friend renjun might help too, because they’re best friends with a magician!”

this sounds incredibly unrealistic, and possibly insane, but he supposes the more help the better, huh. also this isn’t even his investigation, so he can’t do anything about it either. he’ll just have to deal with more independent variables.

as if on cue, a boy with black hair and smiling eyes walks up to them. stalking behind him, a boy with lighter brown hair inspecting their surroundings.

“hi!” the boy calls, smiling bright. “i’m lee jeno, and that’s my classmate huang renjun. you must be lee mark, the detective of the east!” at the title, mark feels his cheeks flush pink.

“y … yeah, that’s me. that’s kind of embarrassing though … the title…” he flushes, shuffling his feet. next to him, donghyuck is oddly silent. “you … you can just call me mark, yeah?”

jeno nods, humming. “my best friend jaemin couldn’t come … his favorite magic show is on right now. he’s a magician, you see, so he really loves watching stuff like this.” he laughs, scratching his head. “this kinda stuff goes right over my head … and renjun likes to try and pick it all apart.” on cue, renjun peers over at the three of them, raising an eyebrow.

somewhere in this, chenle has bounded off, probably to annoy his cousin. and donghyuck is _still_ silent, so mark blinks back. small shoulders, but careful hands and steady feet. he moves with a grace that most people don’t have. and his features are vaguely foreign, along with his name, which means he’s not korean. but he doesn’t say any of that out loud, rather - “uhm, hi.” nice.

renjun looks amused though, so maybe he did something right. “hello, mark lee.” and that’s it - the other boy goes off into a direction, phone open and looking at something.

the other of the two laughs nervously. “sorry about him. he’s not very sociable sometimes … though he tries.” he seems apologetic, in a sheepish way.

“don’t worry about it,” mark reassures, smiling back. jeno beams, but he hears his name called, and he rushes away, waving behind him.

and finally, he turns towards his own best friend, an eyebrow raised. donghyuck is staring in the direction the two left, eyes wide.

“dude… mark. he was so pretty…”

mark smacks his forehead.

 

**—**

 

exactly at 9:00:21 pm, fireworks explode in the sky. the crowd bursts into a flutter of excitement and noise, whispers of kaito 1412’s name ringing in the air. and on the other side of the coin, one teenage detective is readying his preparations.

“ladies and gentleman!” a voice calls out, smooth and deep. with a flash of light, a man in white appears on the ship’s mast. absentmindedly, mark notes that kaito kid is standing in a perfect third position.

the guy smiles, his distinct features hidden by the monocle on his face and shadow of his hat, before he sweeps out his cape. “tonight, right before your very eyes, i shall make the rose heart rain stars!”

the crowd gasps in excitement, murmurs spreading. mark furrows his eyebrows, a frown rising on his face. what does this guy mean? no one can make it ‘rain stars’ unless it’s a cheap party trick. next to him, donghyuck clutches his arm with a gasp.

“mark! he’s gonna make it rain stars!” hyuck says dramatically, pressing the back of one hand to his forehead. mark rolls his eyes, pulling the other’s hand off him.

“don't be ridiculous, hyuck. you can't just make it rain stars.” and as if on cue, the sky bursts into smoke, just as kaito kid disappears. the rose heart is gone with him. mark jolts, turning his body and immediately looking around. and as he does, the sky fills with glowing lights, straying down and leaving trails behind them.

the crowd stares in awe, soft gasps escaping the voyeurs. but, mark doesn't care about that. he slips through the crowd, murmuring ‘excuse me’ before he is free. there’s no way this ‘kaito kid’ could have done so that easily, so he climbs his way up to the roof of the bridge, on the side far from the crowd.

kaito kid is there, a pinnacle of white spread against the background of the night sky. one hand is raised towards the sky, the glittering rose heart in hand, and mark frowns. he’s looking at the gem with a critical eye, a slight frown creasing kaito kid’s face.

“hey!” mark ends up calling out, his fingers on the watch that taeil made for him. kaito kid turns to look at him, a contemplative look rising on his features.

“oh? who are you? certainly not one of my pursuers. i think i’d remember a handsome face like that,” he huffs in amusement, a smirk on his lips. mark feels his ears turn red.

in response, he ends up aiming his watch at the other. “my name’s lee mark, and i’m a detective!” his eyes narrow, even as the man in white let outs a soft laugh.

“oh?” kaito kid’s eyebrows rise in curiosity, a hum leaving his mouth. “they sent the detective of the east after me? oh, i’m flattered!” he says, grinning a too-wide smile. the wind blows towards him, making the charm of his monocle shine in the moonlight. a clover.

mark stammers, embarrassed at the title. “h - hey, i’m - listen, you gotta give that back!” he says, cheeks pink. kaito kid lets out another hum, appraising the gem in his hand, before shrugging.

“why not, my dear detective. it’s a beautiful gem, but certainly not what i’m looking for,” he comments, tossing the gem without care towards mark. on instinct, the detective leaps towards the gem, catching it in his hands. and in that moment, kaito kid jumps off the building, winking at mark.

mark scrambles to the side of the building, only to watch the moonlit thief fly away with his hang glider. and as if on cue, inspector kim opens the door to the roof, a frown on his face.

 

**—**

 

jaemin walks into class the next day with a smile on his face. even though the rose heart wasn't what he was looking for, the heist went how he planned, and there was quite a bit of buzz on the internet about his trick. jeno and renjun are already chattering about it, and he pulls out his seat, on jeno’s left, and sits.

“hey, nana! you missed a pretty cool trick last night. jun and i are trying to figure out how it worked,” jeno greets, turning to face his friend. renjun, on the other hand, hums quietly.

“indeed, na. a pity you weren't there to see it,” he responds, eyes narrowed. jaemin, like always, lets out a little laugh.

“you guys know my favorite magician has his show! well, second favorite magician,” he hums, tilting his head. he rests his chin in his hand, and his elbow on his desk.

jeno nods, rolling his eyes. “don't i ever. you always made dad and i watch it when we were kids.” but, there's a smile on his face, and the memory is a fond one.

renjun huffs, pulling his jacket closer around him. “i bet na knows how kaito kid did that trick last night,” he says, because he’s always claimed that jaemin was kaito kid.

well. he _is_ right, but there’s no conclusive evidence, so jaemin wins.

the boy in question tilts his head. he could say the right answer, but that’s boring. so, instead - “maybe he used non-toxic but slightly flammable gas to make it seem like there were lights?” not correct, but quite a plausible solution. but he never likes to give out his secrets.

renjun furrows his eyebrows, and jeno looks at jaemin with a surprised look. “oh! maybe!” jeno says, because normal people don't know about flammable gasses. and renjun doesn't get to say anything about it, because their teacher comes in, and class starts.

but jaemin knows that renjun knows that he wasn't quite telling the truth.

 

**—**

 

life goes on. jaemin goes to school, spends class thinking of heists, and then does those heists. his father searched for a gem called pandora, a gem rumored to grant eternal life. it would glow red in the moonlight, and in the full moon, it would drop one tear. and if someone drank that tear, they would be immortal.

there's probably like, hundreds of movies saying why that’s a stupid idea. and if his father cared enough that he died for it, then jaemin can only finish what has been started.

though, one thing slipped his mind.

super rare gem that can give immortality.

he forgot to expect that other people, people not as virtuous as him, would want it too.

so, when he’s hunting for the blue diamond in iksan’s jewelry museum, he’s not ready for the gunshot that rings out into the night. nor is he ready to dodge a bullet, so even though he has good reflexes, and even though he leaps to the side, the bullet grazes his arm, and he lets out a little hiss. he curses quietly, adrenaline rushing through his veins. the sniper is behind him, at a higher angle. if he tries to glide away like this, he’s going to get shot at some more.

his police don't shoot at him. it goes against their rules - kaito kid’s unspoken ones that division two have agreed with. no one gets hurt.

but while he was contemplating this, in the split second and a half - the door to the roof opens, and out comes…

lee mark.

jaemin almost groans out loud. it’s always this guy. and usually, he doesn't mind. but there’s a gunman out for, probably his, head and he's not looking for a casualty.

“kaito kid - hey -" lee mark starts, but jaemin cuts him off by throwing around a bunch of smoke bombs. the detective starts coughing, and jaemin takes this time to swipe the other male into his arms and leap off the building into the flowing wind. he pulls out his glider, and angles them away.

the sniper shoots at them, but they miss, miraculously.

“what - is someone _shooting_ at us?!” lee mark stammers, his fingers clutching tight at jaemin’s lapels. in response, he grits his teeth, even as the other shifts in his arms.

“hey, stop moving! unless you want me to drop you!” he huffs in return, guiding their landing into an abandoned alleyway.

he drops lee mark onto his feet, before fixing his hat and making sure his face is covered. he turns to see lee mark’s pale face and before he can even say anything, the detective pushes into gis personal space.

“you're bleeding!” he says, eyes wide. jaemin, belatedly, thinks his eyebrows look like seagulls. but, now that he mentions it, his arm really hurts. and when he glances down, where the bullet grazed is soaked in red, his white suit stained.

dammit. he’s going to have to figure out how to get it out.

however, kun can help him deal with this. so he makes up some excuse, a well-timed smile, and drops a flash bomb. and he disappears from lee mark’s sight.

mark stands there, mouth open wide, before his phone rings.

 _“rumors around the world that mark is-" “_ sicheng hyung?”

_“mark? i did some research about kaito kid like you asked.”_

_“_ oh. i’m ... on my way home, actually. i’ll stop by.”


	2. ii

“what do you _mean_ you got shot?!” kun almost screeches, even as his hands delicately clean out jaemin’s scrape.

“i didn't get shot! i just… got shot … at…” jaemin mutters, cheeks pinking. “i had to worry about stupid lee mark too!” he whines, kicking his feet. kun feels faint, muttering about kids who have no self-preservation.

jaemin resents that. he thinks his self-preservation is pretty good.

“na jaemin, there is a scrape on your arm from where you almost got shot. if you weren’t injured, i’d hurt you myself,” kun grumbles, patting the side of jaemin’s arm after he fastens the bandage over the wound. in response, the younger gives a wide smile, a little laugh leaving him.

“you’d never hurt me, kun hyung!” he laughs louder, leaning forward and pinching his cheek. “you looooove me!” jaemin beams, even as he gingerly pulls his sleeve over his arm.

with an exasperated sigh, and a _look_ at jaemin, kun rolls his eyes. “i guess.” but there’s a smile on his lips, and he pulls his friend up onto his feet, pushing him towards the door. “there, you’re all patched up. now get home before jeno has a heart attack because you aren’t there.” jaemin giggles, but dutifully leaves the elder’s house, waving behind him.

kun hyung is one of his dad’s best friends. and he’s known all about his dad and father since they met. and with his dad gallivanting the world and his father dead, kun’s his best bet with help for his heists, and as a parental figure.

he loves his dad. but he also knows that his dad is running from his father’s death. he gets that. it's hard when someone passes away.

jaemin didn't get the privilege of being able to run from everything that reminded him of his father.

in that, he’s a bit bitter.

without paying much attention, his feet lead him to seoul’s bell pavilion, bosingak. with a nostalgic smile, he steps into the landmark, his fingers grazing upon engravings in the pillars.

this was where he first met jeno.

two snot-nosed brats, jeno on the verge of tears because he lost his dad. this was before his father died, though jeno’s mother was never in the picture. inspector kim did fine raising his son by himself.

jeno was crying. of course, they were both about six or seven, and jeno was by himself for once. and so, jaemin walked over and pulled out a yellow rose from thin air, much to jeno’s wide eyes. that’s when they became friends, inseparable ever since.

his first heist was here - they were going to tear it down, saying there’s not much point in it being here anymore. but jaemin has always been sentimental, so one well planned heist saved it from falling. and kid’s fans wouldn't let anything that he stole from be destroyed.

jeno doesn't know. but that’s okay. it’s jaemin’s little secret.

 

**—**

 

the ruby price.

the world’s biggest cut red diamond.

for obvious reasons, jaemin has been keeping an eye on this one. pandora is a gem that will glow red in the moonlight. no one will expect a red gem to glow red.

apparently, the organization that wants him dead also has been keeping an eye on it, because he’s currently in a fucking standoff with a guy with a gun.

fantastic.

the ruby price is tucked delicately into his coat, hidden in a pocket. but the man facing him, dressed in all black and holding a pistol, doesn’t know that.

“when they told me the kaito kid was still alive, i couldn't believe them,” the man comments, face pallid with a smirk. “after all, i watched the man die.”

jaemin’s blood runs cold, and he is stunned. kun is yelling in his ear to move, but he’s frozen. he watched his father die too, though his dad had quickly covered his eyes when he realized what had happened. but to know that this man was here - that he saw his father -

he -

  
  


 

 

 

the door slams open. both jaemin and the man’s heads turn to face it.

it’s lee mark.

 

**—**

 

mark thought it was pretty strange how quiet it was. after the initial fiasco of the heist, it was like kaito kid had vanished. but there was no news of him escaping the building via glider, and the entrances are all blocked, so… he had to still be inside.

he focuses on what he had seen on the floor plans. there was a hall under maintenance due to unstable flooring. the police had stayed out of there upon request of the museum, but…

his senses tell him something bad is happening.

he runs.

 

**—**

 

jaemin’s first thought is - oh my god, why is it always him. why is he always running into danger. does he have a deathwish?

the other guy looks between him and lee mark.

the next thirty seconds happen in both cut time and double time. jaemin runs more on adrenaline than his own will, or anything else for that matter. rule one, no one gets hurt.

the man in black raises his gun towards his detective.

jaemin launches forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is so short... i felt like it would end better here than anywhere else fmglhm
> 
> twitter @hwallrchive !!

**Author's Note:**

> this fic will update slow and be uploaded in parts. a week after the last part, it'll be combined into one large work instead of chaptered.
> 
> follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/hwallrchive) if you so please


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